ST. PAUL, MN – Senate DFL Leader Melisa López Franzen (DFL – Edina), and Senator Lindsey Port (DFL – Burnsville) said today that a new Republican proposal in the U.S. Senate to impose a national abortion ban would supersede Minnesota law and strip reproductive freedom from Minnesotans.
The legislation, introduced Wednesday by Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, would impose a nationwide abortion ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy. It would allow stricter state or local bans to stay in place, while imposing a 15-week ban on states like Minnesota that don’t now have one. The two Senators pointed out that Republican legislators in Minnesota have pushed for similar abortion bans at the state level.
“This new proposal is simply one more piece of evidence that – despite what the law is in Minnesota – Republicans are coming for our reproductive freedom in our state and across the country,” said Sen. López Franzen. “Their intentions are very clear and if they have the votes in Congress or in our state legislature, then Minnesotans will no longer be able to make private, personal decisions when it comes to their own bodies and their reproductive health care. Republicans are continuing to try to strip away our personal freedoms not only in Minnesota, but also across the country. Senate DFLers will continue to fight their extreme attempts to restrict reproductive freedom.”
“This proposal in the U.S. Senate is proof that in Minnesota, we are very close to losing the same reproductive freedoms that have been lost in many other states, including all our neighboring states,” said Sen. Port. “Who we choose as leaders matters when it comes to allowing Minnesotans to make their own reproductive choices. This new national proposal should be a warning that our state could have reproductive freedom stripped away, just as it has been in many other states. Senate DFLers are going to continue to push to protect abortion access, including ensuring it remains safe and accessible in this state, so that Minnesotans can continue to make their own reproductive health decisions. But right now, those freedoms are under attack by Republicans.”
Minnesota Senate Republican Majority Blocked Senate DFL Efforts to Protect Reproductive Rights
The two Senators said that a Senate DFL push to protect reproductive health care rights in Minnesota was rejected unanimously by the Senate Republican majority in May during the state legislative session. That DFL effort took place before the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that protected reproductive freedom for five decades. Protecting reproductive freedom has only gotten more urgent in the months since Roe v. Wade was overturned, they said.
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